


On Sunrise

by Kunenk



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Gen, One Shot Collection, Specific Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Tumblr: FFXIVwrite
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-07
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-11 20:48:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20552471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunenk/pseuds/Kunenk
Summary: A series of shortfic for the ffxivwrite2019 writing challenge.





	1. First Steps

One ear remained turned towards Brendt for a moment as the man unpacked his good, but the majority of K’pandolu’s attention was on the city before her. Her mother had been dismissive of the city- calling it two-faced, a place where rogues could be found on every corner and didn’t have the decency to _look_ like what they were. But then she’d admired it, too, spoken highly of the Gladiator’s Guild and the champions who fought there. Maybe she’d step into the arena herself someday- see where her mother’s idol, the Hellfire Phoenix, had fought. Perhaps see some of those who’d won fame there herself. But for now-

She grinned, tail swaying, and hoisted her pack up. She’d waited long enough. Time now to feel the streets and see the sights for herself.


	2. Snuff (Candle)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An early lesson in magic. Featuring family of my main lady.

K’dhakaya watched her father set the table up- clearing it of everything except a single candle. She flicked her ears back, frowning as her father lit it. “I thought I was supposed to light that,” she objected.

“And you will in time, my girl,” K’tohka said, and reached out to ruffle her hair. K’dhakaya huffed at him- she was growing up already!- but allowed it. “But first, you need to learn to put the candle out. That’s the start of control.”

K’dhakaya titled her head, with a dubious sound. Her father was Nuhn, and knew what he was talking about, of course, but- “I don’t see how that proves anything,” she objected.

“You will,” K’tohka said, a fond smile on his face. “This is the first step, daughter.”

Well. She couldn’t disappoint him. K’dhakaya took a deep breath, and focused on the candle, holding out her hands to direct the energy. The candle flickered- once, twice, and then flickered out, as K’dhakaya focused more power at it.

K’tohka smiled. “There,” he said. “We’ll keep practicing, until it’s easy as breath. It’s a good start.”

K’dhakaya smiled back, trying to resist the urge as her father relit the candle. She’d done it! And she'd do it again.


	3. Wax

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sisters co-operating to make a chandelier.

“This should be the last one,” K’pandolu said, turning towards K’dhakaya.

“It seems to need a lot of candles,” K’dhakaya remarked, putting the candle in her sister’s hand. She glanced over the partly-assembled chandelier, orbs and moons waiting to be put into place. This looked like the last one- but she run the numbers of what she had and what she’d made over in her head again. Unless they needed another lamp, though, she thought they were done.

“Well, it would be strange if only some of this lit up,” K’pandolu said. She twisted the candle a little, making sure it was set in place, and reached for the cover to set it in place. A little bit of aether channelled into the lamp’s mechanisms saw it start to glow after a moment, and for a moment a smile flickered across K’pandolu’s face. She looked up at K’dhakaya after a moment, putting the lamp back down. “Thank you for providing the candles for me- I, er. You didn’t have to come all this way.”

K’dhakaya shrugged, finding herself not wanting to dwell on it too deeply. She was practiced enough that making a few more candles hadn’t been too much trouble- and it had certainly been worth the surprise on K’pandolu’s face. “It was well enough to see you work,” she said instead. “I hadn’t realised you’d taken so well to the goldsmith’s hammer.”

K’pandolu’s expression flickered for a moment, but she shrugged and turned back to the parts of the chandelier. She put out the lamp, attention now on connecting the inner and outer loops, before she began to set the various lamps in place. “I thought it would be nice to learn to make things that were gorgeous and practical.”

K’dhakaya flicked her ears back, and reached out to touch her sister’s arm. K’pandolu stopped, attention turning towards her. “It’s paid off,” K’dhakaya said. “…I’d be proud to have something you made.”

“Oh.” K’pandolu blinked, and smiled, her face lifting. “Well. I’d be glad to make you something, if you want to name it. …Family rates apply,” she added, expression turning wicked.

“_K’pandolu!_” K’dhakaya shoved her, but K’pandolu was laughing, and after a moment K’dhakaya joined her.


	4. Scour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Washing-up.

The kitchens of the Bismark are just as busy at the end of the night as the start, the clinking of cutlery and plates this time accompanied by the sound of splashing and scrubbing.

“It’s a wonder how our patrons make such a mess of their meals,” Ingham says, scrubbing hard at one particularly stubborn mark.

“Goes to show it was appreciated, with any luck,” Diving Dove says. She leans over, squinting a little. “Leave that a moment,” she advises.

Ingham makes a face, but he moves on for now. “S’pose it’s better on the plates than our face,” he says, getting a chuckle out of Diving. “Thanks for the tip.”

“You’re welcome,” Diving says, going back to cleaning her section. “Better busy than not, too, aye?”

Ingham chuckles. "Aye, and better busy with someone to share the load with," he replies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while since I've done the culinarian quests, but I hope it's all right. They're a good bunch of characters.


	5. Jitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang's signed up for a Battle of the Bands. Of course there are nerves.

Dorys ran her hands through her hair again, pacing- glancing up at the door. “Remind me why we signed up for a Battle of the Bands again,” she said.

“Stop doing that,” Zana huffed, setting her guitar down. “You’re going to ruin your style, and that’s the last thing we need. And we did this as a matter of honour, right?”

“It seemed like a much better idea at the time,” Dorys muttered. She sat herself down, though, letting Zana pick up a comb and start restyling her casually wild style.

“Plus the fact that we’d been issued a challenge,” K’pandolu added. She sounded calm, but the other two could see her tail twitching, her fingers tapping as she counted the beat in her head. “But we’ve been rehearsing. It’s going to be _fine_.”

The other two exchanged a glance, and agreed in that moment neither of them were going to say otherwise. “Right,” Zana said. “We just need to maintain that confidence on stage.” One deep-blue ear swivelled toward the door, and she set the comb down. “Hey, sounds like the last act are just being called off. Curtains up, ladies. Time to rock them."


	6. Radiant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A memory of fighting Alexander- well, sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to admit, I haven't tried Alexander Savage? It would definitely be something. Radiant just… made me think of Radiant Sacrament, that's all.
> 
> For jobs- K'pandolu is running DRK, Zana is running WAR, Adala is running WHM and Dorys is running SCH.

They sink into the memory of the fight inside Alexander, and… nothing looks different. But then- it never does, to begin with. The group glances at each other, K’pandolu and Zana giving each other thoughtful looks, before K’pandolu nods.

“I’ll handle whatever comes first,” she says, unslinging her two-handed sword. “Let’s see how terrible this is, huh?”

She darts forward with a yell, striking a glancing blow, moving forwards as the rest at the team moves up. A moment later, there’s a terrified yelp, and Adala sighs. “Right,” she says. “I’ll handle that- Dorys?”

“On it,” Dorys says, directing her fairy forward. “Wait- he’s charging-“

“Corners!” Zana calls, and the team starts darting to the areas they recognise as being safe. There’s a moment to breath- K’pandolu shaking off whatever terror the primal’s blow struck into her- and then everyone’s hair rises on end.

“Wait, another already?” Adala says, right before light blinds all of them. There’s yelling, Dorys yelling at her faerie to help, godsdamn her-

And the team shake themselves back into the start- staring at the primal again.

“_Why does he do this_,” Zana complains.

“Why did someone decide to talk to the Minstrel again, more like,” Dorys mutters, but not too loudly, given the rest of the team is preparing to charge forward once more.


	7. Attune

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it was kinda interesting that attuning to the aetheryte in the Crystarium plaza made of note of being able to feel the other currents!
> 
> …that's all.

K’pandolu stretches her hand out to the Crystarium’s aetheryte. There’s a moment where she fears that the aetheryte won’t accept her aether- that being from a different Shard leaves her too different, too much of _somewhere else_. But after a moment it responds, aether flowing and intermingling.

It’s odd- the Exarch had mentioned something about it, but she tugs at the vague feeling of the Source’s aetherytes that comes through. She hadn’t expected to feel anything like that- and she wonders if the others will know something about that. And- she worries her lip for a moment. Wouldn’t they have been able to attune, too? Could they have come back on the currents of aether…?

It’s hard to say- her knowledge of how aetherytes work, beyond the actual use of them, is fairly limited. But maybe there are answers up ahead- with the other Scions, and with the Exarch. What else is she doing here, after all?

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a thanks for six years.


End file.
